Actress Martine McCutcheon's 7-year Battle With ME/CFS

British actress/singer Martine McCutcheon, star of Love, Actually, reveals that her long battle with ME/CFS and depression has put an end to her career and driven her into bankruptcy. Martine McCutcheon won a Laurence Olivier Award for her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and her pop single, Perfect Moment, reached No. 1 in five countries. Prior to Love, Actually, she was best known for her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders. McCutcheon released her autobiography, Who Does She Think She Is? in 2000.

"In a candid interview with The Sun newspaper, the star admitted she struggled with fainting fits and was confined to a wheelchair after one particularly frightening episode, while she also piled on weight and felt too unwell to work.

She stayed at home and went weeks without leaving the house, and at her lowest point, she confessed she felt suicidal, telling the newspaper: "I would pray to God I wouldn't wake up. I would just say, 'Please, whatever this is, it is making me feel so bad, just let it kill me'... I don't know if the ME or the depression came first, all I knew was life felt like hell every day...

"The longest I went without leaving the house was a month. I didn't want to see or speak to anyone. I couldn't cope with everyday things, even feeding my dog. The low point was when I was lying on the sofa and could not move. I felt suicidal... I did think it would be better if I just didn't wake up."